<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Co-Parenting a Sheep Named Beth by Nukyster</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23512213">Co-Parenting a Sheep Named Beth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nukyster/pseuds/Nukyster'>Nukyster</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Venom (Movie 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A sheep named beth, Awkward Conversations, Bad Decisions, Bickering, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Human Disaster Eddie Brock, Hungry Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Mental Breakdown, Name-Calling, Or not, Pet Sitting, References to Depression, Vegan, booze fixes everything, eating too much, have I mentioned a sheep?, morsel named Tia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:02:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23512213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nukyster/pseuds/Nukyster</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eddie Brock has never been a balanced out, respectful law abiding citizen. He paid his taxes, sure. And his parking tickets, eventually. And rent, if he was able to scrape enough aside. He still managed to pay his electric bills before they pulled the plug. At times he even manage to tip the pizza guy, if there was some change between the cursions and Dorrito crumbs of his couch.</p><p>Main points, he had good intentions, bust mostly lacked proper focus and discipline. But he was still learning, as a very enlightened, spiritually dude once said: it’s about the journey, not about the destination. Which was reassuring, because Eddie had no clue what he was supposed to do with his life, ever since his body got inhabited by an amorphous -slightly parasitical- Symbiote named Venom.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Midnight fuzz</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So hi there, this is my first time in this fandom. I've started this fic a while ago when I was recovering from a small surgery. Alike the rest of the world I'm home stuck A LOT, again. So to occupy myself and hopefully bring you some entertainment I picked it back up. This is a (hopefully) fun and light story to enjoy during these shitty times. I wish you well, take care.</p><p>also many thanks to my beta-reader CherieLebeau&lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>.-.-.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eddie Brock has never been a balanced out, respectful law-abiding citizen. He paid his taxes, sure. And his parking tickets, eventually. And rent, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was able to scrape enough aside. He still managed to pay his electric bills before they pulled the plug. At times, he even manages to tip the pizza guy, if there was some change between the cushions and Dorito crumbs of his couch.</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Point being is, he had good intentions but mostly lacked proper focus and discipline. But he was still learning, as a very enlightened, spiritual dude once said: it’s about the journey, not the destination. Which was reassuring, because Eddie had no clue what he was supposed to do with his life ever since his body got inhabited by an amorphous -</span>
  <em>
    <span>slightly parasitical</span>
  </em>
  <span>- Symbiote named Venom.    </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eddie tried to take care of their shared flesh suit. He took a shower, almost every day. Well, mainly when V snarled that his armpits started to attract flies. So, he showered. It wasn’t for V’s bullying per se, his mind partner tended to belittle and order him around on a daily basis. A man gets used to that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But ever since V flicked a fly into Eddie’s mouth like a god damn Chameleon, Eddie paid better attention to their shared state of personal hygiene. He could still feel those little wings flutter against his uvula. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On a more positive note, his body roomie has had a fantastic effect on his physical condition; the alien could fix every little muscle ache, cramp and physical discomfort, though the he had to suffer being called a </span>
  <em>
    <span>baby </span>
  </em>
  <span>or </span>
  <em>
    <span>pussy</span>
  </em>
  <span>; but Eddie didn’t mind as long as Venom healed his baby toe after he’d accidentally crashed into the few pieces of furniture he owned. It happened on a daily basis; Eddie hurting himself because he was a total klutz, which made Venom wonder how its petty little human had made it to the marvelous age of thirty four. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Their co-relationship still spooked Eddie and at times; it simply freaked him the fuck out. There was no privacy; Eddie could always feel those huge opal teardrop eyes scan every single move he made. Every thought would be narrowly pulled apart and examined. He didn’t even want to get started on the things Venom probed and pulled at underneath his skin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The alien was like a newborn baby, although Eddie wouldn’t call it that out loud, in fear of immediate decapitation. But in many ways, Venom was much like a newborn, being fairly new on Earth. It had started to understand and recognize a few simple feelings, such as anger, sadness and happiness. It started to understand how to conceive that starter box of feelings; exploring Eddie’s mindset during daily events. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe Venom was more like a toddler, because of the constant overflow of questions that filled up Eddie’s cranium. After fearing for an emotional meltdown, Eddie introduced Venom to the wonderful invention of the World Wide Web, in which Venom learned to read in half a day.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Its curiosity knew no limits. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eddie still regretted informing Venom about yawning: which was basically involuntarily opening your mouth wide and inhaling deeply due to tiredness or boredom or because you happened to notice another human yawning. This had stirred up Venom’s curiosity and had questioned its human about it. Eddie had shrugged and explained that there was no deeper meaning but Venom didn’t take that for an answer, so they got into an argument like the two thick headed assholes they were and googled it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like a bickering wife, Venom’s tendrils tapped on the screen of his laptop, drifting over a line stating: </span>
  <em>
    <span>contagious yawning is not strongly related to variables like empathy, tiredness, or energy levels. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <span>In response, Eddie had yawned and called it a night, but Venom gained a new task: to understand the mystery of contagious yawning in the mammal kingdom, because apparently dogs and chimpanzees did it too. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This basically meant that Eddie had to hook himself around poles, corners and bus stop signs every time Venom noticed someone yawning from afar, resulting in a bunch of unflattering head crashes with strangers because V found it necessary to examine the human race very up close and personal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Life with an alien parasite wasn’t easy, but it had its perks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>"You've been awfully quiet tonight, love," Eddie slurred, digging his hands into his pockets and feeling his knees get a bit wobbly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>That's because ONE of us is filtering our organs from the poison you kept downing in OUR system</b>
  <span>, the sulky voice of Venom bubbled up from within his ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Venom was the father figure he should have had around in his teens, because V had the ability to make him feel guilty, without being a shitty deadbeat dad. Most of the time, V would get through to him if one of his harmful self-inflicting tendencies bubbled up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Without the stench of Whiskey on his breath or a row of knuckles, V managed to keep him on the safe side of the sidewalk. Most of the time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonight had been one of the few occasions Eddie got smashed. He had the chronic need to fix and please everyone around him, in a faint attempt to fill up the gaping hole the lack of parental love caused.  Friends, colleagues, strangers, he even asked a telemarketer how he was doing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, when his longtime friend Brian asked him for a night out to drink themselves into complete oblivion, Eddie, full heartedly, said yes, while V's low gravelly voice screamed </span>
  <em>
    <span>NO</span>
  </em>
  <span> so loud it made his ears ring. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They’d seen one bar too many. Brian's long-term girlfriend had cheated on him so Brian had been a mess. The three of them, Brian Eddie and their good friend Jack Daniels took the entire night to swear off dating. Bro's before hoes had been their motto, up until the shots. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That bitch</span>
  </em>
  <span> as Brian put it, </span>
  <em>
    <span>broke my fucking heart</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and in front of a line of empty tequila glasses Brain started weeping. Their masculine bravado turned into a sobbing frenzy because Eddie was a total tear jerker too if he saw close friends in pain. Eddie operated as an intoxicated Dr. Phil, handing out shitty ass life lessons about mindfulness, yoga and all the other helpful trash he kept postponing himself. As Brian’s tears soaked through his t-shirt, sniffling into his shoulder, heading into a comatose state, Eddie turned into a taxi finder slash payer for an Uber. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Fearing Brian would get sick along the way and spray paint an entire liquor store on the backseat of the car, Eddie declined getting in and decided to walk -stagger- home. It would be a nice way to clear his head and repent, because he could feel V’s angry foot thumping somewhere around his liver. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh c'mon, when was the last time I had a night out with the boys?" Eddie whined, fully aware he was acting like a full grown man-child, shrugging his shoulders and tripping over his own drunken feet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His reflexes were a wee-bit off and were it not for two tendrils sprouting from his chest; he'd be planting his face into San Francisco concrete. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>You are hopeless</b>
  <span>, Venom scolded, using it’s tendrils to get Eddie back on his feet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh so it's a '</span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>' when I fuck things up but a '</span>
  <em>
    <span>we'</span>
  </em>
  <span> if you fuck things up," Eddie retorted, "that does sound like a double standard, don't you agree?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>We never fuck things up Eddie; we've improved everything inside of you. Every nerve, cell, molecule, there is nothing more perfect on this planet then us.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh you're just saying that to make me blush," Eddie said, waving his hand in the air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Nonsense, just stating the obvious. We are the perfect symbiote, compatible, powerful and-</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"-Drunk, yup. We are drunk. Definitely drunk!" Eddie exclaimed loudly and twirled on his feet like a ballerina. A very intoxicated ballerina, who ungracefully banged his head against a lamppost.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, fuck, that hurts!" Eddie howled, grabbing his forehead where a big thumping ache started to grow. "V!!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Oh excuse us, forgot to babysit your ass,</b>
  <span> Venom sneered and Eddie could feel V's eyes roll, </span>
  <b>Got distracted for a moment, neutralizing our infected liver and all!</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Enough with the talkie, do the fixie please," Eddie pleaded through gritted teeth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Pathetic human being…</b>
  <span> a frustrated growl rattled through Eddie's ribcage, but the sore spot on his head started to meld like snow in the sun. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His feet involuntarily shot forward and with a zombie stagger, Eddie started walking again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They bickered about Eddie's upcoming hangover; apparently Venom had been watching some kind of Nanny programme during the nights; because '</span>
  <em>
    <span>you've made your bed and now you have to lie in it</span>
  </em>
  <span>' was too much of a human phrase to be coming straight from the alien.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"V, I'm sorry alright, I've let myself go a little bit."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>There is no excuse for a bad choice,</b>
  <span> Venom lectured on a holier-than-thou stance.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"But if I'm hung over, how can we get groceries?" Eddie whined, playing a wild card. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was quiet, which mostly meant Venom was thinking, in this case, weighing out its options: </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Venom could stick with its principles and let Eddie endure the mother of hangovers, but the direct consequence would be that they wouldn't be able to buy those chocolate chip cookies it had been craving ever since it saw that Milka commercial on TV today.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm waiting…" Eddie whispered, high-pitched as he headed into the hallway of their apartment complex. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Venom didn't make a sound and yanked their feet up the stairs, indicating he was sulking and being a very sour loser. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I've heard those cookies are filled up with praline…" Eddie hummed and felt the pit of their stomach growl.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>You're lying.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I might be, I might not…" Eddie muttered mysteriously.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>No idiot, you are lying, we can read your thoughts,</b>
  <span> Venom retorted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, yeah, right," Eddie muttered, after a drink he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After their symbiosis almost two months ago, Eddie still forgot that there wasn’t much of a barrier between their minds. It was a constant blending and entwining of each other’s thought processes. In theory it sounded like hell, an endless battle of fighting between being the alpha or the omega.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But in reality it was mostly a coexistence of manners and consideration. It was like holding the door open for one another and allowing each other some space and privacy. Eddie discovered there were doors inside Venom’s being that needed to be kept locked and in return, it granted Eddie a small place in the attic of their shared cerebrum. A place where he could store some of the memories he wasn’t ready to share with anyone, not even with his blended significant other. It was a collection of picture frames, thoughts and feelings he hardly wanted to remember himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>And Venom must have its own demons because at times, Eddie would be shut out if he lingered on the staircase that went down towards V’s basement. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With each having their own corner in their shared mind to retreat to, their 24/7 coexistence honestly didn’t bother Eddie that much.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are the goddamn keys?” Eddie muttered more to himself then to V.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <b>Ahem</b>
  <b>
    <em>, </em>
  </b>
  <span>a set of keys jingled; held up by a squid like tendril</span>
  <b>; allow us to do the honor</b>
  <span>. </span>
  <b>And wipe your feet</b>
  <span>; </span>
  <b>we didn’t clean our apartment just so you can get it dirty again</b>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We did not clean the apartment, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>cleaned our apartment.” Eddie reminded Venom firmly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>A deep sign ruffled through his hair, Venom’s head had merged from between his spinal cord and swooped around his head. </span>
  <b>There is no I in team Eddie.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh there is, it’s hidden in the a-hole,” Eddie retorted, then rapidly pressed Venom’s head into the frame of their door as he heard a sound heading towards the stairs, “ok, that wasn’t human,” he whispered into the thick tendons attaching to Venom’s head, linked to Eddie’s back.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>A tendril viciously jerked against the tip of his nose, making tears prickle in the corners of his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Don’t push us into wood portals!” </b>
  <span>V roared out loud, not minding its voice or temper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Shush!” Eddie hissed back, pressing his hands against the massive rows of shark like teeth, “something is coming our way!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not impressed, V seeped back into Eddie, </span>
  <b>good, we could use a snack</b>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“We’re not eating every single thing that might be a threat!” Eddie stated, twirling on his drunken legs. There was a sound again; one that was familiar, but Eddie was retracing it from his memory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Suddenly, a pair of slit-shaped irises peeked over the last step of their shared apartment stairs. Startled, Eddie let out a high-pitched sound he would later deny ever making. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>While V’s black mass started to circle around his chest and limbs, a ball of fluffy fuzz came into view.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><span>Abort, abort!</span></em> <span>Eddie send to V through thoughts, </span><em><span>it’s a sheep, it’s a sheep! It’s...a sheep?</span></em></p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <b>It looks delicious</b>
  <span>, V stated hungrily, wetting both their mouths. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unbothered by the near intergalactic attack, the sheep hopped up the final step and took the liberty to clutter their hallway with a small pile of marble shaped turds. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Can I touch it Eddie? </b>
  <span>V asked, </span>
  <b>it looks soft, bouncy.</b>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two calm brown eyes stared at the drunken human in front of it and the sheep bleated curiously, sticking its nose up in the air. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit!” a shrill feminine voice cursed softly and in a matter of seconds, a young woman marched up the stairs. She must be somewhere in her late twenties. The dark outfit she wore was pretty banged up, covered with dust and spider webs. While blowing away strands of her blonde bangs from her face, she tried to shush the sheep to keep quiet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Shit!” she stated again as she noticed Eddie staring dumbfounded at the scene, with his keys halted an inch away from his lock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Pursing her lips, she jerked her chin up and grabbed the collar of the sheep and walked towards the door facing Eddie’s apartment. Without any explanation, she unlocked her door and ushered the sheep to get inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You did not see a thing,” she informed Eddie with a teacher-tone of voice and closed the door behind her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ok, did we see the same thing or did someone roofie my last drink?” Eddie questioned out loud, “Did she just walk her sheep like it’s a fucking dog?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Who are we to judge Eddie? </b>
  <span>V commented, still extremely drawn to the fluffy farm animal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Judge</span>
  </em>
  <span>? We’re not even allowed to have pets, that sheep just took a dump in our shared living space!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>We have pets too</b>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mice don’t count; those are pests, not pets!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>And snacks</b>
  <span>, V stated as it made Eddie’s hand press the keys and turn.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Walking into their apartment, V’s words finally sank in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, hold on. You’re telling me you’ve been </span>
  <em>
    <span>eating</span>
  </em>
  <span> those little fur coated carriers of the plague?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Maybe…</b>
  <b><br/></b>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so another argument started, in which Eddie said some drunken things he shouldn’t have said and Venom stood its ground as the perfect parental figure and informed Eddie he was going to be very hung over in the morning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>.-.-.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Inglorious morning of doom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The toilet was clearly his one and only friend today. Eddie hugged it feverishly; sweat pouring down his back, drenching the shirt he wore last night. It didn’t take him long to empty his stomach. Eddie sat back against the sink, arms dangling on his side with his head feeling way too heavy for his body.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Here is part II, enjoy;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>.-.-.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eddie surfaced back into the land of the living somewhere around noon, although it felt more like the dawn of the dead. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a one way ticket to the bathroom floor, Eddie relieved himself from all the tequila shots he shouldn’t have been taking. In an unflattering manner, he forcefully emptied his stomach into the toilet bowl and let an unearthly moan pass his lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Usually, Venom could never pass a chance to point out Eddie’s flaws, but the alien was obnoxiously quiet at the moment. Eddie could feel his symbiote point its claw at him holding back an ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I told you so'</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The thirst was real, but so were the steps to get to the kitchen. Or sink, which would take at least three steps that he wasn’t ready to take. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>This hangover, although Eddie wasn’t a rookie on the subject, was a severe one; perhaps even worse than his past hangovers because ever since V joined, Eddie had the luxury of being free of any forms of bodily discomfort. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Pussy</b>
  <span>, V snarled not impressed by Eddie’s pain as his fingers gripped around the edge of the porcelain and dunking his head back into the toilet for round three. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eddie felt too sick to even come up with a response, moaning and hiding his face in the palm of his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>There was a small bit of sympathy in V, as a set of tendrils shot out of Eddie’s back with an extremely annoyed sigh. One flushed the toilet and the other filled a glass of water. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like a man lost in the Sahara, Eddie drained the glass quickly then held the glass up towards V and silently pleaded for a refill. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>How did you manage to survive without us? </b>
  <span>V spat from within, deliberately loud making Eddie squirm and cradle his thumping head in his hands again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“V, some other time ok, I’m dying here,” Eddie groaned, partly pleading, partly ordering.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Venom mercifully kept quiet and Eddie received another glass of water.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you please fix us up?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>No, you wanted to have a night out, now you must learn that your actions have consequences. </b>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I learned believe me, I just puked my fucking guts out. I’ve learned, I’m a perfect little boy scout, now please do the magic fixie V. C’mon, I’m in pain, which means </span>
  <em>
    <span>we’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> in pain.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>As a six million year old predatorial warrior, I think I’ll manage</b>
  <span>; there was something smug and belittling in V’s words. </span>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, be a dick about it. Do we have aspirins?” Eddie huffed, unsteadily getting back on his feet. Going through his bathroom cabinet, he found a ridiculous amount of empty items. Empty packages, empty shampoo bottles, empty toothpaste tubes and something that must be a sponge but could also have been a severe form of fungus. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>We don’t have aspirins</b>
  <span>, V eventually informed him as Eddie unsuccessfully ran through the last drawer, </span>
  <b>why should we have aspirins? We have us and if you weren’t such a disgrace of a human being last night we would have healed us. </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <br/>
  </b>
  <span>“If you weren’t such a disgrace of a human being last night we would have healed us,” Eddie repeated in a hissy fit voice, making a face. Kicking the drawer back in frustration, the drawer rebounded and the merciless wooden edge shot a jolt of pain up his shinbone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eddie bit the inside of his cheek, feeling extremely sorry for himself. The safest thing to do was go back to bed, morph into a fetal position and ride out the pain, like a man. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Scoffing laughter echoed through the back of his head, sending another wave of sickness towards his stomach. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The toilet was </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly </span>
  </em>
  <span>his one and only friend today. Eddie hugged it feverishly; sweat pouring down his back, drenching the shirt he wore last night. It didn’t take him long to empty his stomach. Eddie sat back against the sink, arms dangling on his side with his head feeling way too heavy for his body. At least there was peace, serenity, quietness. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Karma was a bitch as a slight buzz from a door bell sounded from the hallway, which had all of a sudden turned into a skull splittingly loud argument. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Eddie allowed the thought of having V popping out of his body like a jack in the box. It had worked before, his previous neighbour never dared to let a guitar riff slip after a mere glance of Venom’s game-face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Eddie decided that this time he had to be civil, not because of proper moral etiquette, but because V was being a bitch and wouldn’t have his back today. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a Walking Dead stagger, Eddie managed to get through his apartment without fracturing any toes. Slamming his front door open, the mother of all hangovers took on its final form.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The migraine surfaced up like fucking Calypso, Goddess of the Seven Seas. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>His apparently new neighbour and her extremely loud opponent paused in their fighting to witness the disheveled form of Eddie Brock dying in pure agony. Both the young woman and the Arab guy, who Eddie vaguely remembered as his first floor neighbour, were not impressed by his imitation of the dead and immediately retreated back into their heated argument. The high-pitched anger combined with the Arab’s loud accusations about a missing sheep, opened up another portal of hell for Eddie. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Could you two </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> keep it down?” Eddie pleaded and was even ready to fall on his knees and beg for quietness, if that was what it would take. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“This sharmouta stole our sheep!” The Arab </span>
  <em>
    <span>loudly</span>
  </em>
  <span> snapped, pointing at the furious young woman, “where's your respect?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Respect?!” The girl seemed ready to explode, “I have zero respect for animal cruelty! You’re planning to butcher the poor thing, that’s illegal! Criminal! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Immoral</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Illegal?! It’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sheep</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” The jaw of the Arab dropped, astounded by the young woman’s clear lack of common sense. “And we don’t butcher it; we </span>
  <em>
    <span>sacrifice it</span>
  </em>
  <span>, to celebrate the end of Ramadan. It’s our holy month and you’re lucky I haven’t called the police yet!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, do it! Knock yourself out!” The young woman snarled, firmly blocking the entrance of her apartment with her body, “and don’t forget to mention how you were planning to slit that innocent creature's throat in your bathroom! The cops will love that!”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eddie’s first floor neighbour cursed something in his mother tongue and reached into his pocket for his phone, pressing digits while the young woman crossed her arms and laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“They won’t find her anyways!” she scolded with a wry grin plastered on her face, “you’ll be making a fool out of yourself. It’s pretty far-fetched, isn’t it? A modest young thing such as myself breaking into your house to steal a sheep, did you find any signs of a forced entry? No, I guess you haven’t!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The Arab’s fingers froze and he yanked his phone back into his pockets. “I know it was you, I know you’ve been to my house; my son told me how you tried to bribe him into seeing the sheep!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That still doesn’t prove a thing!” The young woman bit back. “So go ahead and call, let’s see who the cops believe. I’ve taken two years of drama and expressive art in community college, I can cry on the spot!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Veins seemed to pop on the head of Eddie’s first floor neighbour and were it not for Eddie’s interference; he would have pushed passed the girl to take back what was apparently rightfully his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Alright, alright!” Eddie hushed and moved in between his two infuriated neighbours, “holy month remember, </span>
  <em>
    <span>holy month</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” scratching the back of his throbbing head, Eddie overheard the indistinguishable sound of a sheep’s’ muffled baaing coming from inside the woman’s apartment. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eddie’s head involuntarily shot towards the source of the sound and V was suddenly back into a fully focused state. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Not now!” Eddie hissed, receiving a questioning frown from the young woman, still using her body as a human shield against possible trespassers. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ok, he seriously just wanted to crawl into a corner and sleep, or die. Or die in his sleep; he was open to all options. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking back and forth between both his neighbours, Eddie dug his hand into his pocket and took out his wallet. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Here, how much is it to buy something halal and to forget about the sheep?” Eddie questioned, flipping through some bills. “It is the month of forgiveness, right?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>His first floor neighbour stared from Eddie, to Eddie’s wallet, to the bitter young woman and then back to Eddie. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“More than that,” the man stated, watching Eddie flip through more bills, “a little more than that.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘For fucks sake,’ Eddie emptied his wallet to the last penny, mashed it into a little ball and handed it to his first floor neighbour. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Have a happy Eid,” Eddie chipped in as the man stored Eddie’s money in his pocket, “please be quiet the rest of the day, for my sake.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The man nodded, then glared at the young woman behind Eddie and raised his index finger. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Because it’s our holy month, I will forgive you for this, but I will not forget! Don’t come anywhere near my family or apartment again,” the man nodded back to Eddie, “Salam.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah, salam to you too,” Eddie responded not having the slightest clue what the man had said, but it was apparently a form of goodbye as his first floor neighbour retreated down the stairs.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that went smoothly,” a suddenly bubbly voice commented behind Eddie, “Hi, I’m Tia.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>As Eddie turned around, his new neighbor stuck out her hand, “Eddie,” he grunted through his teeth and shook hers with a sweaty, shaky hand. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like crap Eddie,” the young woman pointed out, looking him up from head to toe; Eddie also took that time to stare at the obvious fruitcake in front of him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Her petite frame didn’t indicate that she’d been kidnapping a sheep and keeping it hostage inside of her apartment. Her blonde hair in pigtails added another feature of childish innocence, yet the smug grin and triumphant glint behind her bright blue eyes gave her away.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We’re not allowed to keep pets,” Eddie felt it necessary to share when their silence and staring contest started to get uncomfortable.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Then it’s a good thing I don’t have any,” the young woman reassured him, giving him a toothy smile. Eddie noticed she had a chipped right canine and that she tried to flat out lie to him.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh you don’t have a sheep in your apartment?” Eddie raised an eyebrow. Seriously, he’d spent his weekly allowance for food to temper down a neighbourly fistfight, “then where do those </span>
  <em>
    <span>obvious</span>
  </em>
  <span> baa’s come from?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tia scrunched her nose, “those darn drain pipes!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Ok so she was seriously going to play this game? </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“There is shit in the corner,” Eddie pointed out.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“This city truly has a massive rat problem,” Tia exclaimed with a sigh, stepping over her doorstep, “thank you for saving this damsel in distress Eddie, you’re a true hero. Gatto go. Bye.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door was slammed shut in his face before Eddie could respond. A little baffled, he stared at the peephole in front of him and overheard the tottering of tiny hooves over wooden floor panels. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>We want to touch it Eddie</b>
  <span>, V whined, its black mass trailing over the outline of the apartment door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This is an apartment complex, not a fucking petting zoo,” Eddie muttered, feeling lightheaded again. With the same zombie-like stagger, he got back into his apartment, took a carton of milk from the fridge, sniffed it, tasted it, decided it was still decent enough and retreated to his dingy couch. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A bowl was dragged into view by tentative tendrils, a spoon followed as well as a box of Reese Puff’s cereal. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going to eat V,” Eddie batted at the objects being deliberately shoved in his face. Venom stirred underneath his skin, sending out a wrench inside his stomach.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You do the fixie, I do the feedie,” Eddie mumbled, switching on their TV. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>...Spineless…</b>
  <span> Venom thoughtfully formulated inside his head. But the alien didn’t budge and soon Eddie’s hangover turned tolerable.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Shut up and pick a movie,” Eddie nudged the remote towards their Netflix account, which had been a subject of one of their fights. First it was called plainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eddie</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then when Eddie woke up one morning it was called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Venom</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so he changed it back to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eddie </span>
  </em>
  <span>out of spite. The day after, their account was renamed </span>
  <em>
    <span>Venom and Pussy</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it outraged Venom when Eddie switched it to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eddie and Leech</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To prevent a war, their account was now named </span>
  <em>
    <span>Symbrock</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which actually sounded a lot cooler then Eddie gave Venom credits for. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess we did a good deed today,” Eddie said reminiscing about their empty wallet, “and we didn’t decapitate anyone.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p><b>Yet, it’s still early</b><span>, V informed Eddie.</span><span><br/></span> <span><br/></span><span>“Nah. I’m not in the mood to fight crime today love, let’s stay in, have a movie night. There’s tater tots and pizza in the freezer,” he added to lure Venom. Luckily his symbiote was easy to please. Covering Eddie’s right hand with a black mass, V started flipping through movies until he settled on season two of </span><em><span>Friends</span></em><span>. The show intrigued Venom, trying to grasp the concept of roommates, dwelling on the characters obvious shortcomings and cheesy jokes. Eddie followed the show with only half an eye, huddling into a fetal position and staring up at the onyx claw that mindlessly brought spoons full of Reese towards V’s grotesque mouth.  </span><span><br/><br/></span></p>
<p>
  <span>This scene should creep him the fuck out, because it could have come straight from a horror movie; the main character in a fetal position, possessed by an alien entity with huge white eyes, a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a long writhing tongue. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It should have been creepy, were it not for V practically purring from joy, because Reese’ cereals were its favorite and while doing so, it rewarded Eddie by fixing the boo-boo in between his temples. </span>
  <span></span>
    <br/>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Sharing a life with a symbiote could be strangely fulfilling.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>.-.-.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>